


Sister Dear

by SpenceRose



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Asthma, Big Brothers, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Affection, Eating Disorders, Established Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Eventual Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Holmes Brothers, M/M, Meddling, Original Character(s), Protective Big Brother Mycroft, Protective Sherlock, Self-Harm, Sherlock Has A Sister
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-15 06:03:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5774227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpenceRose/pseuds/SpenceRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Is your name really Ember Holmes?”<br/>“Yes. Now can you please call my dear brothers? I'm sure they'd be delighted to see me.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place in the canon where Sherlock is 27 and Mycroft is 34. Sherlock is 11 years older that Ember.
> 
> (It might not be Sherlock canon but it's the only way this'll work the way I want.)

Greg looked at the girl that had her arms crossed and a pout on her lips. She had red curly hair and brilliant blue. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen and yet she was sitting here for theft. He sighed and walked into the room.

“You here to let me go, Foxy?” she asked. He snorted. 

“I'm here because of who you claim to be,” he replied. 

“Claim?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “My dear Fox, you believe me to be lying.”

“The name’s Lestrade,” he snapped. 

“Touchy, aren't you?” she frowned. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright. I apologize for my behavior. What do you want to know?”

“Is your name really Ember Holmes?”

“Yes. Now can you please call my dear brothers? I'm sure they'd be delighted to see me.”

“Mycroft and Sherlock?” he asked. She raised an eyebrow. “I'll get them on the phone. Don't move.”

Half an hour later, Mycroft and Sherlock arrived. They glared at the young woman and Sherlock turned to Lestrade and John.

“Would you give us a moment with our dear sister?” he asked. They nodded and left the office, leaving the three Holmes siblings. 

“Ember Scarlet Holmes!” Mycroft snapped when the door shut. “Do you know how worried you made everyone? Mummy was in near tears when I called her to tell her where you were!”

“I doubt it.” 

“What?” Sherlock frowned. She looked up at them with some raging emotion in her eyes.

“Mummy doesn’t care about!” she shouted.

“She does!” Mycroft snapped. “Even if she didn’t, that is not the conversation we are having right now! You are supposed to be at school!” 

“I don't like it there,” she mumbled.

“It doesn't matter if you don't like it,” Sherlock said. “We do things we don't like all the time. It's part of life, Ember!”

“You shouldn't have run away,” Mycroft said and Sherlock nodded.

“I just wanted to see you,” she said. 

“There's a reason I bought you that phone,” Mycroft snapped. “I'm taking you back first thing in the morning.”

“But I'm alone! No one there likes me! I'm just the freak! Not even my teachers like me!” she shouted. “One failed me on purpose! My roommate threw my homework out the window in the rain!”

She was crying now and her brothers completely forgot to be mad at the sight of their younger sister's tears. 

“Why didn't you tell anyone?” Sherlock asked.

“I tried but no one listened. They thought I was over exaggerating,” she said. The two brothers exchanged glances. 

“Ember,” Mycroft said gently. “We can't just take you out.”

“Yes you can!” she exclaimed. “You're the British Government and you're the best bloody detective there is.”

“Ember, though I loath to admit it, Mycroft is right,” Sherlock said. “You need schooling.”

“I'm not going back there and if you make me then I'll get myself kicked out,” she said. 

“Ember, this is good for you. Being around others your age, dealing with their idiocy,” Mycroft said carefully. She looked down, gripping the edge of the seat. “You have to understand…”

“I do understand!” she shouted. “I understand that the only two people who have ever been on my side are going to send me back to hell on earth!”

“Ember,” Sherlock began. 

“No! I refuse to go back! You can’t make me!” she snapped, standing up as hot tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’ll just get bullied until I get in another fight and expelled! Then Mummy will be ‘disappointed’ in me and I’ll never get to see you guys just like last time.”

The brothers stared at her as she wiped at her eyes. They exchanged looks and then pulled her into a hug between them. She sobbed into Mycroft’s shoulder as Sherlock petted her hair. 

“Ember,” Sherlock said, his voice low and soothing. “We’ll need to talk to Mummy but…”

He paused and looked at Mycroft, who nodded for him to continue.

“We’ll get you out of there,” he finished. Ember pulled back to look at them and sniffed gently.

“Really?” she asked, sounding too much like the child she used to be. “Can I stay with one of you?”

“We’ll talk about it,” Mycroft smiled. She grinned and hugged them again tightly. “Now, I believe we should have some introductions and then dinner, yes?”

They properly introduced John as Sherlock’s flatmate and Lestrade (“Call me Greg, please. You’ll be the only Holmes that does.”) as Mycroft’s boyfriend. They then went to Mycroft’s, where Greg happily cooked them dinner.

They ate and talked for a while and the brothers noticed how their sister hardly ate anything on her plate. They exchanged worried looks. 

When dinner was over, Mycroft showed Ember to a room she could stay in and they sat with her until she fell asleep. Sherlock gently brushed her hair from her eyes. 

“Mycroft, we can’t send her away,” Sherlock said. “Not to another school.”

“I know,” Mycroft sighed. “We’re not sending her to Mummy either. You know how she is.”

They exchanged looks and Sherlock walked to the door. Mycroft walked towards Ember and pressed a kiss to her forehead. This was one of the few people that could bring their emotions to the front.

They walked towards the living room where Greg and John were talking. They looked over as the Holmes brothers approached. John cleared his throat.

“Sherlock, we better get going before it gets too late,” he said. Sherlock nodded and turned to Mycroft.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. “Then we shall talk with Mummy together.”

“I will see you then, brother mine,” Mycroft stated. Sherlock nodded and turned to leave. He paused. 

“Mycroft, I’m sure you noticed her lack of appetite tonight,” he stated, turning back. 

“I have,” Mycroft nodded. “I will take care of her, I assure you.”

Sherlock hesitated and walked to Mycroft. He wrapped his arms around him in a stiff, tight hug. Mycroft hesitated and slowly reciprocated it. John and Greg exchanged smiles.

“I will see you tomorrow, brother dear,” Sherlock said as they released each other. Without another word, Sherlock and John left to their flat.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Ember woke up and walked into the kitchen. Breakfast was laid out and she spotted a note. She picked it up as she sat down. 

_ I was called away this morning. Sherlock will be by around 10. Be sure to eat. -M _

She sighed and flicked the note away. She checked the time. 9:30. She looked down at the food and picked up a piece of toast. She ate half of it before placing it on a plate and walking away. She went through the house, trying to find something to entertain herself. She finally found a stack of paper (okay, she pulled it out of the printer) and a pencil. She sighed and made her way back to the living room. 

Sherlock found her at ten with a stack of drawings next to her. He walked up to her and picked the top one up. It appeared to be him and Mycroft in a brotherly embrace. He sat next to her as she worked on the one she had. 

“They would be better if I had the proper tools,” she stated dryly. 

“When Mycroft gets back, we’ll steal his credit card and go buy them,” he said. She smiled a little at that and he glanced over his shoulder. “Have you eaten?”

“Yes,” she answered. He raised his eyebrow. 

“Have you really?”

“Yes. I had a piece of toast,” she said. He narrowed his eyes. “Half a piece.”

“Come on,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s eat.”

“But I’m not hungry,” she mumbled.

“You didn’t eat anything last night,” he pointed out. “And I know you didn’t eat anything before that because you were too busy trying to get to London.”

“Why can't I just have have normal brothers?” she scowled.

“Because normal people are boring.”

“You can say that again,” she muttered. They sat down at the still untouched breakfast and Sherlock piled her plate with food. She wrinkled her nose and looked at him. He just stared back with a blank look on his face. She sighed and began to eat. Sherlock watched her until she had finished what was on the plate. 

They heard the front door and looked up as Mycroft walked in, a scowl on his face.

“What happened?” Ember asked. 

“Mummy,” he replied. “She called me and demanded to know where you were. After a lot of arguing, she finally ‘allowed’ you to stay here.”

“So I'm not going back to that dreadful school?” she asked. He nodded and she jumped up.

“I've already sent someone to collect your things,” he said. Her expression dropped and her brothers raised their eyebrows. 

“Something wrong?” Sherlock asked. 

“The reason I ran away I because my roommate got tired of me,” she said, looking down at her hands. “She and her friends took all my things and threw it all out. Everything was ruined.”

Sherlock looked murderous and Mycroft had that calm expression that unnerved almost everyone. He stood up and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He excused himself and Sherlock looked down at her.

“What are the names of these girls?” he growled. She shook her head. “Ember.”

They were both startled when they heard yelling. They exchanged glances and walked towards the door Mycroft had exited through. Sherlock put his finger to his lips and they pressed their ears to the door.

“I do not care what has to be done! Those girls will not get away with this kind of behavior!” Mycroft roared. “This is unacceptable behavior not only for the children but also for a school of your standing.”

“He’s really mad,” Ember whispered. 

“And it isn’t at me,” Sherlock said back, making her giggle. 

There was a lull in the conversation and they suspected that whoever Mycroft was speaking with was talking. 

“Unacceptable!” he shouted. “If something is not done, I will cut your funding and it will be near impossible for you to afford anything of the same caliber as even the worst public school in the country.”

Sherlock looked both excited and frightened by the tone in their brother’s voice and Ember had a huge smile on her face. It was just like when they were children.

“You don’t think I can do it? The government provides the funding? Well, I’ve got news for you. I  _ am _ the British Government,” Mycroft hissed, his voice dangerously low. Ember giggled and Sherlock’s hand came up to cover her mouth. “That’s what I thought. Now, I suggest her punishment be swift or I may just cut the funding regardless.”

It then went deadly quiet and they strained to hear anything. The door suddenly opened and they tumbled to the ground, staring up at their older brother. His hands were on his hips and he obviously wasn’t fooled by the innocent smiles.

“Eavesdropping is very rude,” he said.

“You’re the one who taught us,” Sherlock countered. 

“I did no such thing,” Mycroft said, stepping over them. 

They sat up and he turned to help pull them to their feet. They looked at each other and then pulled him down on the ground with them. After a brief scuffle, Ember ended up sitting on his stomach and Sherlock was on his legs. 

“Get off,” Mycroft frowned. She just grinned down at him. “Ember, if you do not move, you will regret it.”

“I highly doubt that, brother dear,” she stated. His eyes narrowed. 

They weren’t sure how but he ended up pinning both of them down, sitting on Sherlock’s back and his hands pushing on Ember’s back. Ember struggled against him and Sherlock tried moving but they both had their arms trapped under them at awkward angles.

“Hm, I wonder if you’re still ticklish, sister dear,” Mycroft grinned evilly. 

“No! Mycroft, please doo…” her voice reached a higher squeal as Mycroft began to tickle her. 

“Sherlock would you be a dear and help me?” he asked, moving so Sherlock could get up. He moved and helped Mycroft, Ember squirming to try and get away. 

“No! Please! Stop!” she gasped as they continued. She wiggled so she was on her back and Sherlock pinned her hands above her head as Mycroft attacked under her arms.

Suddenly, Sherlock went pale and grabbed Mycroft’s arm. Mycroft looked up at him and followed his gaze to Ember’s arms. His eyes went wide and he sat back, completely in shock.

“Ember,” Sherlock whispered, fingers running over the scars. She pulled her arms from his grip and wrapped them around herself. 

“I know,” she said, her voice awfully small. “I'm sorry.”

“We should have gotten to you sooner,” Mycroft sighed. “We've been meaning to visit but haven't had time. We would have seen this.”

Without a word, she hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and Sherlock placed a hand on her back. They were quiet for a moment. It was a door opening that broke the silence. They looked up to see Greg standing in the doorway.

“Well, this is a sight to walk into,” he said. The three siblings laughed and let go of each other. Ember stood up and helped her brothers to their feet. 

“Gregory,” Mycroft smiled and kissed him quickly. 

“Mike,” Greg said, making Mycroft scowl and Ember put her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. 

“You're home early,” Mycroft noted. “Something wrong?”

“I was just looking for Sherlock,” Greg replied. “We have something that we need help with.”

“Yes, well, I would love to hear about it but I have a meeting in…” Mycroft looked at his watch. “Ten minutes.”

“Mycroft,” Sherlock called as he began to walk away. The older Holmes turned to look at him. 

They spoke quietly while Greg and Ember waited patiently. 

“So, my brother really likes you,” she said.

“I should hope so,” he smiled. The look on her face made his smile fall. “I can promise you, Ember, I really do love him.”

“Be sure that you don’t hurt him, Lestrade,” she said, pointing at him threateningly. “Or there will be consequences.”

“Ember, you’re coming with us to the Yard,” Sherlock said. 

“Why?” she asked. 

“Neither of us know when we’ll be back and we’d rather not leave you alone for too long,” he replied. He turned to Greg. “Now then, Gavin. Let’s head off, shall we?”

“It’s Greg,” he sighed. Ember rolled her eyes and followed them out to Greg’s car.


	3. Chapter 3

Ember decided that the worst thing about being at the Yard was Anderson and Donovan. They weren't subtle in any way. It was blatantly obvious they were sleeping together and that they held no respect for anything to do with Sherlock.

“So, Freak, is your superpower going to tell us who the killer is,” Donovan said.

“If being observant is to be considered a superpower, then I fear for humanity,” Sherlock said to her before turning to Lestrade. “Do they have to be here? Anderson is throwing me off. I can’t process anything properly with him here.”

“I have more reason to be here, psychopath,” Anderson snapped. Ember looked at Sherlock, his face impassive but his eyes betraying him. Ember couldn’t really do anything so she settled for glaring at Anderson and slowly counting to ten.

“Anderson, be quiet,” Lestrade sighed, waving him off. “Sherlock, he needs to be here to help.”

“Very well,” he sighed. “Just don’t say another word or you’ll break my concentration.”

“Sod off,” Anderson snapped. “I can say whatever I want, freak.”

Ember growled and walked towards him, punching him in the nose. He staggered back, bringing a hand up to stop the bleeding.

“No one calls my brother a freak or a psychopath!” she shouted, her hands in fists. “Say it again and you’ll get more than a bloody broken nose! I will make you wish that you’ve never been born, you stupid unintelligent waste of human DNA!”

“Greg, aren’t you going to do anything?” Donovan asked, backing away from Ember, who was now glaring at her.

“Not my division,” he shrugged. Donovan walked Anderson away to help clean him up and Sherlock turned to Ember.

“You need to get a hold on that temper,” he frowned. “One day, it is going to get you into serious trouble.”

“Right, because getting kicked out of six of the most prestigious schools in the country in three years isn’t ‘serious trouble’,” she frowned, crossing her arms.

“I’m sorry, what?” Greg asked.

“Ember has some rather intense anger issues,” Sherlock answered.

“I do not!” she snapped. They just looked at her and she looked away, crossing her arms. “It is not that bad.”

“Ember, your temper has caused over 25 fights since you turned 11,” he pointed out. She sighed.

“Fine, it’s bad,” she huffed. She looked up at them wistfully. “Can we not tell Mycroft? I promised that I would try to keep my temper in check.”

“If he doesn’t already know, then he won’t find out from us,” Greg promised, Sherlock agreeing hesitantly. “Anyway, there’s a murderer that needs to be caught.”

Ember stayed out of the way and watched as Sherlock rapidly worked. He said he needed time and that he would be back, leaving Ember with Greg. She sighed and looked at Greg as he went through his paperwork. She snagged a paper and pen off the desk and began to doodle. Half an hour later, she had fallen asleep on a chair and Greg had draped his jacket over her small frame.

“Shush,” he hissed when Sherlock walked in, John (Sherlock having pulled him from work) following behind him. Sherlock glanced at his sister and smiled a little. “She must have had a long night.”

Sherlock nodded and sat across from Greg, contenting himself to whisper his findings to the other man. John walked over to Ember and picked up her drawing, one that clearly depicted Greg drinking his coffee as Sherlock stood behind him, pointing to some unknown object on the board in front of them.

“You're sister is a wonderful artist,” he said quietly, walking over to the desk to sit beside Sherlock.

“Yes, she used to make me sit for hours so she could learn to draw the human form,” he said. “Mycroft was already away by that time. When I left, she changed to doing scenery.”

“Well, looks like all that hard work paid off,” John said as Greg took the drawing to look at it. “She really captured your arrogance and Greg's confusion.”

“I am not arrogant,” Sherlock frowned.

“Yeah, you are, mate,” Greg said. “And you do confuse me.”

Sherlock rolled his eyes as they finishes the case. Greg sent someone out to arrest the suspect and turned to Sherlock.

“Thanks for your help, Sherlock,” he said. “As usual.”

Sherlock nodded and John rolled his eyes.

“He means you're welcome,” he said. They heard a groan and turned to look at Ember as she sat up. She blinked drowsily at them before sitting up, pulling Greg’s jacket around her shoulders.

“Ah, you’re awake,” Sherlock said, standing up. “Good. We’re going to Baker Street so Lestrade can finish the paperwork for the case. We’ll wait there for Mycroft.”

“Oh, that’s bloody typical,” Lestrade mumbled. “Leave me with the paperwork.”

Ember saw the smirk on Sherlock’s face as she passed him on the way out. John didn’t at all look amused and she tried to hide her smile.

“Do all Holmes enjoy doing that to people?” he asked, more towards Ember than Sherlock.

“Well, I’m not as cruel as my brothers but I don’t think you should ever get me angry,” she replied. She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

“You just quoted the Incredible Hulk,” John sighed. “And you do realize that you’re not as threatening as you think you are. Not even Mycroft scares me and he kidnapped me when we first met.”

“Dr. Watson,” she replied as Sherlock hailed a cab. “Mycroft detests getting his hands dirty and dresses in a three piece suit. I, on the other hand, have single handedly put three boys in the hospital. Well, I did have a bat and some pepper spray but that’s beside the point.”

“Are you coming?” Sherlock called. Ember gave John a smile and turned to get into the cab behind her brother. John stared after her before finally getting in, feeling a tiny sliver of fear in his stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

They reached Baker Street and walked up to John and Sherlock's flat. Ember looked around while John disappeared into the kitchen to make some tea. 

“Sister dear, I do wish you didn't feel it necessary to scare John,” Sherlock said. “It's hardly worth the time.”

“Brother darling,” she said, sitting on the green armchair. “Dr. Watson should know what he's dealing with.”

“You hardly took on three boys at the same time and put them in the hospital,” Sherlock replied. 

“Yes, but he doesn't know that.”

Sherlock sighed and sat at his desk. Ember looked around for a moment before she spoke again.

“You and him are close,” she said. Sherlock looked up with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve never seen you so close with anyone before.”

“Yes, well we hardly see each other,” Sherlock said, looking back down. Ember huffed.

“That isn’t my fault,” she mumbled. Sherlock didn’t respond and she stood up, walking to the fireplace. She picked up the skull and examined it. “Your old friend.” 

“My only friend before John,” Sherlock said. Ember looked over at him and then back at the skull. 

“Sherlock,” she said, making him look at her. “You're very lucky to have John, you know. You're not alone.”

“And neither are you, Ember,” he replied. She smiled ruefully at that and put the skull down. 

“It depends on what you mean by alone,” she stated. It was quiet after that. John brought the two of them tea and they sat and sipped it. 

“So, Ember, what was it like growing up? It seemed like you were very close with your brothers,” John said. Ember looked over at him and studied him a moment before answering.

“I remember boarding schools and staying with Mycroft for a week or two during summers or when Mummy couldn't stand the sight of me,” she said. “Other then that, I can't say we saw a lot of each other.”

“But there were phone calls and visits,” Sherlock added. “Mycroft once decided that the three of us needed ‘bonding’ in the middle of the school year so he bullied the headmaster into giving her time off.”

“We went to the beach,” Ember said, smiling down at her cup. “Sherlock got a terrible sunburn and Mycroft couldn't even look at sand for months after. I still have the pictures.” Her face suddenly fell. “Or I did.”

John and Sherlock exchanged glances and John put his cup down, leaning forward to show interest. 

“So Sherlock with a sunburn? Sounds interesting,” he said. She looked at him and took in how he was sitting. 

“Yes,” she said. “He was whining and complaining about it for weeks and refused to wear a shirt because it irritated it. He looked a great lobster roaming around.”

John smiled as Sherlock huffed indignantly. Ember was smiling at the memory.

“Sounds like you had fun,” he stated. She nodded and then looked down. 

“It was the last time I really saw them for a while,” she mumbled. “Circumstances changed. Mummy didn't want me to see Sherlock and Mycroft was with him.”

Neither Holmes mentioned why that had been the last time she had seen her brothers. They all knew what it was. They just wish it wasn't so.

“Well, you'll have a lot to talk about, I'm sure,” John said, attempting to get her to smile. She shrugged, having gone back into her shell.

“You still need new things,” Sherlock stated. “Tomorrow we can get them.”

“Okay,” she mumbled. John rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Sherlock. The silence got thick and John was relieved when he heard Mycroft’s voice coming up the stairs. 

“Yes, thank you for informing me,” he was saying into the phone as he walked in. He hung up and looked down at Ember. “I have good news. Those people I sent to your school found something in your room. It's a box of photographs.”

“It's okay?” she asked, looking up at him. He nodded and her entire body relaxed. “Oh, thank God. I almost lost all my blackmail material on you.”

Both brothers froze and looked at their little sister. She was grinned and John bit back a smirk. 

“Blackmail material?” they asked simultaneously. She nodded and Mycroft cleared his throat. 

“I highly doubt that is a wise course of action, sister dear,” he said. She raised an eyebrow with an amused look on her face. 

“You can’t threaten me like you do Sherlock, Mikie,” she said. “You have nothing on me. Besides, I have more on Sherry than you.”

“There’s no way you have anything on me,” Sherlock said. 

“Really? I have that picture of when you…” She stopped when Sherlock crossed the room in two strides and put his hand over her mouth.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to tell us what the pictures are of,” he said. She glared at him and he smirked back. “Licking my hand won’t make me move it.”

“Children, I think that’s enough of that,” John said. Sherlock finally moved his hand walked towards Mycroft. He wiped his palm against his shoulder and Mycroft fixed him with a disgusted glare. John looked at Ember, who had a much too wide smile. “Were they always like this?”

“Not really, no,” she said. Her expression dropped and she shook her head. “A lot of factors played into the animosity most people see. I doubt our father dying helped any of that but who knows?”

“Ember, come on,” Mycroft said. “We need to get back home.”

She nodded and followed him to the door. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, John,” she smiled. Sherlock pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. 

“Goodbye, Ember,” he said. She smiled and followed Mycroft out.

When she was asleep that night, Mycroft and Greg sat on the couch and Mycroft sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Everything alright, Mike?” Greg asked, wrapping his arm around Mycroft’s shoulders. 

“I’m not so sure this was a very good idea,” Mycroft said. He shook his head. “Gregory, Sherlock and I are so ill equipped to care for a teenage girl.”

Greg smiled and kissed his head. 

“You two will fine,” he said. “Besides, it’s not like you’re alone. John and I are going to help you. Besides, I have some experience with teenagers. You forget I have a daughter of my own.”

Mycroft sighed and smiled at him.

“I suppose it can’t be too bad,” he said. He kissed him gently. “I will never know what I did to deserve you.”


End file.
